Fibromyalgia is a chronic health condition that causes widespread musculoskeletal pain along with sleep difficulties, fatigue, mood, and memory problems. The reason why fibromyalgia develops is not 100% clear, but as more information is understood, research points to a “glitch” in the way your central nervous system picks up on and deliver pain signals. When you’re sick or injured, pain acts as a warning sign that something is wrong. Once your illness or illness or injury clears up, the pain goes away. However, for people suffering from fibromyalgia, the pain doesn’t cease even when there is no sickness or injury present.
What Can Trigger Fibromyalgia?
The symptoms of fibromyalgia may be triggered by certain circumstances or events:
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
Gender
Anxiety or depression
Genetics
Other diseases such as arthritis or Lupus
Physical or emotional abuse
Sedentary lifestyle
Gender – women are more likely to develop fibromyalgia
Trauma or injury to the head or neck
Stress
Hormones
These events can trigger the initial onset of fibromyalgia symptoms, and as the condition progresses, can also cause periodic flare-ups. The pain associated with fibromyalgia tends to fluctuate and worsen over time. These flare-ups can come on suddenly and can last up to several weeks at a time.
Many fibromyalgia sufferers will develop a regimen of self-care that works best for them. This can include:
Dietary modifications to include anti-inflammatory foods. Many fibromyalgia sufferers also experiment with removing gluten, dairy, and other common foods that people develop sensitivities or allergies to.
Maintaining a regular exercise regimen. Regular physical activity can help to improve fibromyalgia symptoms. It may be difficult to start and maintain an exercise routine because of your pain, but easing into gentle exercise by starting with short walks or pool exercise can help you get started.
Getting enough sleep. People with fibromyalgia need to, as best as they can, develop healthy sleep habits. This can include going to bed and waking up at the same time each day to maintain a normal circadian rhythm. Keeping your bedroom cool, dark, and free of other distractions can also help to improve sleep quality.
Reduce stress. Stress is possibly one of the worst triggers for fibromyalgia sufferers, so taking steps to reduce stress and learning how to manage it better can help tremendously. Meditation, yoga, or tai chi can be great tools to learn how to cope with the inevitable stresses of life a little better. Exercise and therapy are also beneficial.
Natural Fibromyalgia Relief is Possible
Fibromyalgia patients often find themselves in a frustrating cycle of seeking out ways to alleviate the pain and other day-to-day symptoms. Many are turning toward natural healthcare options because the mainstream options have failed to deliver the desired results on a consistent basis. Upper cervical chiropractic care is quickly becoming the option of choice because of the research and results that support it. The majority of current research being conducted on fibromyalgia is focused on the abnormal nervous system function that occurs, hindering pain processing, hormone production, sleep-cycle regulation and more.
One thing that many fibromyalgia sufferers share in common is some type of head or neck injury in their past. The vertebrae of your spinal column are designed to protect the spinal cord that runs through it. Your central nervous system is made up of your brain, brainstem, and spinal cord. Its job is to relay signals between the brain and all other parts of the body, coordinating its many functions. At the junction between your head and neck sits your atlas vertebra, which protects the brainstem. The brainstem acts as a relay station for signals that control many of your body’s life-sustaining functions. The atlas can misalign due to a head or neck trauma, even a seemingly minor one, and interrupt normal brainstem function. This can ultimately lead to the pain, brain fog, sleep difficulties, and other symptoms that fibromyalgia sufferers live with on a daily basis.
Upper Cervical Chiropractic Care Give Hope and Gets Results
In a research study consisting of 23 fibromyalgia patients under upper cervical chiropractic care, the results were overwhelmingly positive. The participants, who ranged in age from 11 to 76, were followed over a 5-year period. Many presented with diagnoses of both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome – two conditions that share many symptoms in common but are two distinct disorders. At the conclusion of the study, a 92%-100% reduction or resolution of symptoms was achieved for all 23 patients. Every patient was able to resume their normal activities, including full-time work. Upon follow-up one and a half years later, all 23 patients maintained their improvements.
Upper cervical chiropractors are uniquely qualified to care for fibromyalgia patients because of our focus on the upper neck and brainstem function. Just like in the study mentioned above, we perform a thorough history and analysis on each of our patients to determine if an atlas misalignment is a possible root cause of the symptoms they are experiencing. Using precise and gentle adjusting methods, normal atlas alignment is restored, and the body is given the opportunity to heal the damaged nerves and tissues. This is how the patients in the study saw such promising results, and this is how we see very similar results with the patients that come to our practice seeking relief.
If you or a loved one are living with the painful and unpredictable effects of fibromyalgia and are tired of mediocre results from the commonly available treatment options, please reach out to us to see if we can help. Natural, enduring relief is possible with upper cervical chiropractic care.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fibromyalgia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354780
https://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/guide/fibromyalgia-causes
Amalu WC. Upper cervical management of primary fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome cases. Todays Chiropr. 2000;29(3)76-86.
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